Campaigning for a Healthier America

I tell readers in an honest way that there is no quick fix, it comes down to taking charge of your health. I lived a lifetime of bad habits, and I figured out how to turn it around. I don't want this book to be a replacement for the South Beach or Atkins diet books, I think my book complements any weight-loss plan and takes it a step further. There are great books on dieting, nutrition and exercise. My book explains how to bring it all together. We need to change from saying, "I need to lose weight," to saying, "I need to get healthy." Because with weight loss, you typically have programs with a start and an end. But health and fitness are lifetime commitments.

How did you come up with your "12-stop" program?

I wanted to focus on something people could remember, and I wanted it to be progressive.

What was the hardest step--or stop--for you?

The hardest for me was: stop sitting on the couch. I loathed the idea of exercise. I would think, I have a dozen things on my to-do list and here I am walking around the block. I thought that if I was exercising--and here's where my type A personality comes through--and if I was not producing or accomplishing something from the activity, then what was the point? I hadn't realized I could quantify my health.

So how did you motivate yourself to exercise?